FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Hours before former President Donald Trump appeared before a federal judge in Washington, D.C. for his arraignment on charges relating to his alleged efforts to hang on to power after the 2020 election, 11Alive spoke with the district attorney currently investigating his conduct here in Georgia.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to announce the results of her ongoing 2020 election probe in the coming days. The investigation has focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
The 45th president currently faces charges in three separate criminal cases around the country. He has pleaded not guilty in all of them.
Thursday afternoon, Willis said those other cases will not impact her plans for any potential Fulton County case.
"I took a oath and the oath requires that I follow the law and if someone broke the law in Fulton County, Georgia, I have a duty to prosecute," Willis said. "That’s exactly what I plan to do."
The exact timing of any announcement in the case is still unknown. Willis has previously said she will announce a charging decision no later than Sept. 1.
In a May 18 letter, she asked Fulton County judges to not schedule in-person trials or hearings between between Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 and said that much of her staff will be working remotely on July 31 and Aug. 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, and 18.
Thursday afternoon, she declined to provide more specifics about her timeline.
Willis did shed new light on the offensive messages she says she has received since her investigation began.
"All the typical racial slurs that you can imagine," she said. "They’re very grotesque."
When asked if these messages had impacted her personal security detail, Willis responded: "My personal security's been good for a long time now."
Willis declined to say how many messages like that she’s received, but added she’s gotten notes of support too.
She also addressed concerns, voiced by some, that any potential criminal case against the former president would tie up courthouse resources that are already being stretched by the ongoing YSL trial.
"I don't believe the YSL prosecution has stopped or slowed down anything," Willis said. "We are accustomed to handling big cases."
"I think the Fulton County court system is more than able to handle multiple high-profile cases at the same time," she added.
When asked about whether her office is ready for the history-making nature of potential indictments, Willis said "we're ready."